A Utah tech executive who sent an email to local business and political leaders claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine was a “sadistic” Jewish plot to “euthanize the American people” has stepped down. The email was sent early Monday to some of the most powerful figures in the state’s public and private sectors, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah Jazz owner and Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith, along with a group of other local executives in a part of the country known as the “Silicon Slopes.” David Bateman, the co-founder and chairman of property management software provider Entrata, acknowledged in the email — which was sent from his company account — that it “sounds bonkers,” but claimed the vaccine was a plot to depopulate the Earth sponsored by “elites” including George Soros and Bill Gates, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “I believe the pandemic and systematic extermination of billions of people will lead to an effort to consolidate all the countries in the world under a single flag with totalitarian rule,” Bateman said in the email, according to the Tribune. “I pray that I’m wrong on this. Utah has got to stop the vaccination drive. Warn your employees. Warn your friends. Prepare. Stay safe,” Bateman said. By Tuesday afternoon, Bateman had resigned from the company and stepped off its board of directors. Last year, Fortune magazine called Entrata “Utah’s newest software unicorn” after it raised $507 million in funding from investors, including powerhouse private equity firm Silver Lake. A spokesperson for Silver Lake told Bloomberg that Bateman’s email “does not reflect our views in any way and we resoundingly condemn anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms.” Silver Lake’s $90 billion portfolio includes shares in tech unicorns like Airbnb, Alibaba, Dell Technologies, GoDaddy, Skype and SoFi. Bateman is well known among political figures in Utah, where he has been a major donor to the state’s Republican Party. Cox, the state’s governor, on Wednesday posted a tweet condemning Bateman’s email, writing: “These irresponsible comments are hurtfully anti-Semitic, blatantly false, and we completely reject them.” The governor referred to the remarks as “bats*** crazy” on his personal Twitter account. The message, whose subject line contains the word “Genocide,” was first reported on Tuesday by Fox 13 TV in Salt Lake City. “I believe there is a sadistic effort underway to euthanize the American people,” Bateman wrote. In the email, Bateman cast doubt on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine while falsely claiming that Jews have “infiltrated” the Catholic Church by installing one of their own, Pope Francis, as the church’s top religious official. He also wrote that there is a campaign to silence anyone who criticizes the inoculations. “I believe the Jews are behind this,” he wrote. “For 300 years the Jews have been trying to infiltrate the Catholic Church and place a Jew covertly at the top. It happened in 2013 with Pope Francis.” Bateman confirmed to Fox 13 TV that he is the author of the email. “Yes. I sent it,” he told the news station. “I have nothing but love for the Jewish people. Some of my closest friends are Jews.” He also said: “But I do believe Scottish Rite Freemasons are behind the pandemic (overwhelmingly Jewish). And I fear billions of people around the globe right now are being exterminated.” The email sparked a backlash from local business, religious and political leaders, prompting Bateman to resign on Tuesday as CEO. Entrata released a statement condemning Bateman’s comments and distancing itself from its co-founder. “To be absolutely clear, we at Entrata firmly condemn anti-Semitism in any and all forms,” company CEO Adam Edmunds said in a statement. “For those who have seen and been offended or disturbed by the content of Dave’s email, we understand and share your disappointment.” Edmunds wrote: “The opinions expressed by Dave were his alone, and do not reflect the views or values of Entrata, the executive team, board of directors, or investors.” Bateman told Fox 13 he “had no intention of raising a big stir” and that the email was meant to be shared with a few close friends. Local Jewish officials were outraged, including Rabbi Avremi Zippel of Chabad Utah, who called the comments “blatant anti-Semitism” and a “flaming pile of garbage.” The United Jewish Federation of Utah said the email contained “vile, hyperbolic and untrue accusations against Jews which amplify some of the worst anti-Semitism in our history.” Clint Betts, the head of Silicon Slopes Commons, the trade association that represents tech firms in Utah, is one of the email’s recipients. He called the message “insane, intolerant, and anti-Semitic.” Entrata, based in Lehi, Utah, was founded in 2003. It employs 1,400 workers. The firm is believed to be valued at more than $1 billion.
